Austin Carter

Participating in the Juneau Icefield Research Program was the impetus for all of my subsequent academic pursuits. This eight-week academic and expeditionary program plunged me into the captivating world of glaciology. Through this life-changing experience, I realized that glaciers serve as a medium in which we can better understand our drastically changing environment. After spending my first summer on the ice, I was drawn to Alaska, returning for glacial research every summer during my undergrad at the University of Michigan.

Now, as a graduate student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, I am continuing to research the cryosphere by studying mineral dust entrained in ice cores from Antarctica as a proxy for past Earth surface conditions and atmosphere dynamics. By being authentic in expressing myself as a gay man, I hope to encourage other queer students to see a future for themselves in the geosciences.